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PIA News Service - Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Status of PAMANA projects in Agusan del Sur
bared

By David M. Suyao

AGUSAN DEL SUR, July 18 (PIA) -- The status of
the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) projects under the Office of the
Presidential Adviser on Peace Process implemented in Agusan del Sur was
presented to Agusan del Sur Governor Adolph Edward Plaza last July 13 as part
of the evaluation process on how the projects serve the people in the community
they are implemented and how the people perceived the projects.

The first project presented is the Sta. Irene-La
Purisima-Gacub farm-to-market road (FMR) in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, with a
cost of P2.25 million.

Agusanon Para sa Bag-ong Pilipino (AGUS PINOY),
an accredited NGO by the PAMANA and the provincial government, said the Sta.
Irene-La Purisima-Gacub FMR has incurred cracks on its concrete sides, while
some road surface has been washed out due to heavy rainfall experienced in the
province. According to report, motorcycle drivers’ feedback said that although
the road situation is presently better compared to previous years, the road
network should be completed until Gacub so travel will be easier and more
comfortable.

In a report that Plaza conformed, the
rehabilitation budget covers only 1,040 linear meters from Sta. Irene, while
the rest of the road were not yet scheduled. This is the reason travelling
after the rehabilitated road is still uncomfortable. The cohesion survey result
said the construction and rehabilitation of the road address the need of the
people in the area as signified by 95 percent of interviewed respondents. The
provincial engineering office is also undergoing repairs on the defects of the
road.

On the Bitan-agan-Lucac FMR in San Francisco
town with P2.25 million cost, accredited NGO People’s Alternative Center for
Environmental and Sectoral Services, Inc. (PACESS) reported that minor defects
were observed, such as cracks on the mouth of the culvert canals and some
portion of the road washed out due to heavy rainfall. Overall overall findings
based on the survey is good.

Some PAMANA projects are still on-going to
address the need of the people, especially in conflict areas. (RER/DMS/PIA-Agusan
del Sur)

Hosting of MinBizCon to bring business
opportunities in Butuan, official say

By Robert E. Roperos

BUTUAN CITY, July 18 (PIA) -- The hosting of the
21st Mindanao Business Conference (MinBizCon) on August 2-4, 2012 will bring
business opportunities in this city, said Vice Mayor Lawrence Lemuel Fortun
during the press conference on Tuesday held in a local hotel here.

The Mindanao Business Conference is the premier
platform for fostering competitiveness and accelerating economic growth in the
Mindanao region and for showcasing its trade and investment opportunities.

Fortun said with some 700 business entrepreneurs
expected to participate in this annual gathering coming from different places
in Mindanao, the event will likewise pave the way for Butuanon communities to
explore latest developments in establishing a stronger business industry here
in the city.

The official further said sharing of best
practices of different regions in the island will also lead to sustaining the
economic development of five regions in Mindanao, especially in Caraga Region.

He added that since Caraga Region is considered
the poorest region in the country according to the National Economic and
Development Authority (NEDA), there is a need for officials of the region to
know the latest trends and strategies in sustaining and improving the business
industry in their respective areas.

He also acknowledged the efforts of the Butuan
Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. (BCCIFI) in hosting the
biggest gathering of business entrepreneurs in Mindanao.

The annual conference serves as the official
business conference of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)
for the Mindanao area and is the biggest of its business conferences in scope
and number of participants, among them senior business leaders, members of
chambers of commerce, government policymakers, investors and foreign trading
partners.

Participants have the chance to network and
exchange ideas on enhancing the business climate and strengthening
competitiveness, in addition to marketing products, services and investment
destinations.

Since 1991, the MinBizCon is being hosted by
local chambers of commerce from across Mindanao.

BCCIFI former president Alfredo Baluyut, Jr.
said hosting the event can help boost the local economy through increased trade
and tourism across the conference.

Among the past hosts of this annual event are
local chambers of commerce and industry of Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan,
Surigao, Butuan, Cotabato, Dipolog, Koronadal, Zamboanga, General Santos and
Pagadian.

The first day of this year’s MinBizCon is also
held in time with the celebration of the city’s charter day dubbed “Adlaw Hong
Butuan.” (RER/PIA-Caraga)

Caraga disaster council to formulate reg'l risk
profile

By Danilo S. Makiling

BUTUAN CITY, July 18 (PIA) -- The Regional
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC)-Caraga Region is
conducting a writeshop for the formulation of regional risk profile on July 31
to August 1 at Tavern Hotel, Surigao City, in time with the celebration of the
month-long National Disaster Consciousness.

According to Office of Civil Defense
(OCD)-Caraga regional director and RDRRMC chairperson Dr. Blanche Gobenciong,
the formulation of the risk profile form is part of the five-year Comprehensive
Regional Strategic Action Plan that will provide detailed information on the
various elements of risk and vulnerabilities of the region.

The activity will be participated by the RDRRMC
Technical Working Group coming from the different line-agencies of the
government spearheaded by OCD. (RER/DSM-PIA 13 Caraga)

Surigao Norte gov to deliver SOPA

SURIGAO CITY, July 18 (PIA) -- Governor Sol
Matugas will deliver her State of the Province Address (SOPA) today during the
1st Special Session of the sangguniang panlalawigan.

The special session will be presided by Vice
Governor Arturo Carlos Egay, Jr., which will start at 1:30 p.m.

The lady governor is expected to disclose the
gains of the HEALS (Health, Education & Environment, Agri &
Aquaculture, Livelihood, Spiritual Renewal, Social Services, Senior Citizens)
agenda in the previous year, as well as her plans for the years ahead.

Two solons of the province, the mayors of 20
towns and one component city, regional directors of different national
government agencies, provincial government department heads, members of the
academe, nongovernment organizations and the media are invited to attend.
(RER/FEA/PIA-Surigao del Norte)

“In his Social Contract with the Filipino
People, the President pledged to lead a government that would encourage the
sustainable use of resources to benefit the present and future generations of
Filipinos,” matud ni Ochoa.

“EO 79 is a policy extension of this commitment,
as it lays out directives that will benefit our countrymen in the long-term by
putting in place measures that will protect the environment while ensuring that
the country gets the maximum economic benefits from mining.”